May 18, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Mick Abel (40) throws a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
On Pattison's Tim Kelly and Anthony SanFilippo team up to answer your Phillies questions. Let's get to it!
@AlanEll81912857 on X: How did José Alvarado not know about what he was using? And why didn't he ask the proper people about it?
Tim Kelly: These are both great questions. Alvarado didn't speak Sunday when his suspension was announced, so we're yet to truly hear his perspective on things. Perhaps at some point as his suspension nears its conclusion, he'll answer questions from the media. His teammates certainly had to answer quite a few on his behalf Sunday.
Is it possible that he actually was using a weight-loss drug that contained an ingredient that made him test positive? Given how much slimmer he looked this spring, I'd say yes. In that case, it's inexcusable that he didn't get it cleared by the Phillies before using it.
It's also possible that he was trying to gain an unfair advantage, and in that case, it would make sense that he didn't ask the Phillies.
Either way, the end result is the same — he's suspended for 80 games and not eligible for the postseason.
Anthony SanFilippo: This is ultimately a cautionary tale. The sad part is, for these ballplayers, is that there have been many like them previously and they didn't heed the warning.
Tim is 1000% correct that we won't know the answers to these questions until Alvarado returns in August — and even then, we may get well-rehearsed answers, and not necessarily the truth.
But we do know one thing is true — he didn't clear this drug with the Phillies before taking it, and that was a huge mistake.
Whether he was doing it because he was self-conscious about his weight and how it impacted his pitching, or whether he was doing it to gain an advantage can be debated forever. But the real issue was keeping the Phillies in the dark.
Dave Dombrowski said he left the team because he was emotional. He should be. A stupid decision, even if unintentional, could have been and should have been avoided. He let himself down. He let his teammates down. He let his organization down. And — he let the city down.
Can he be forgiven? Sure. This is just baseball, after all. But did it put the Phillies in a sticky situation that they didn't have to be in? Yes. And there is a finger to be pointed as to why.
SWat on Bluesky: Do you think it’s more likely that the Phillies will: A. Use Mick Abel’s start to up his value in a trade for a bullpen piece or B. Try to convert Abel into a bullpen weapon himself later this season?
Tim Kelly: I think both are possible, as is a third scenario where the Phillies were so impressed by Abel that they continue to use him as a starter at Triple-A because they believe he can be a key cog for them moving forward.
But if you make me pick one of those two scenarios, I'm going to go with A. A couple months ago, Abel appeared to be headed towards being a bust. It's great that he's rebounded, but there is part of you that wonders if he's going to sustain his hot start. There's an argument to be made for moving him while he's re-established his value.
The other reality here is that while teams don't generally like to trade 23-year-olds who are former first-round picks, the Phillies have a surplus of starters. Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Jesús Luzardo, Cristopher Sánchez and Taijuan Walker are all under contract next year. Andrew Painter is expected to make his MLB Debut at some point this summer. And starting pitchers often carry the most value in trades. So it would not surprise me remotely if Sunday proves to be the highlight of Abel's time with the Phillies and he's ultimately a trade chip before the July 31 deadline.
Anthony SanFilippo: All three are, in fact, a possibility. And all three are, in fact, a good path forward for the Phillies.
However, I have one caveat.
You shouldn't trade Abel for a bullpen arm. He's more valuable than that.
All winter long we argued which top prospect the Phillies could dangle in a big trade. We knew Painter wasn't going anywhere, the team was also reluctant to move Aidan Miller, and slightly less reluctant to move Justin Crawford. So, who is next on the list?
Entering the season, there was Moises Chace ranked as their No. 4 prospect, but he is done for a year plus now that he has to get Tommy John surgery. Then there is Eduardo Tait, who may well be their catcher of the future. The Phillies have other interesting prospects as well, like Aroon Escobar and 2024 draft picks Dante Nori and Griffin Burkholder. But none of them had the name cachet to be the primary piece in a big trade.
Abel was forgotten about. He fell out of the top 100 prospect rankings in the majors after a disastrous 2024. He nearly fell out of the Phillies top 10 prospects. But this resurgence — and the performance on Sunday, matching zeroes with Paul Skenes, should change that.
Abel has done enough so far to be a primary piece in a trade for an everyday player. He's no longer the second banana in a deal, or the fallen prospect you give up on for a rental relief arm. As long as he remains consistent and good for the next two months, Abel can be a trade chip on the level of Painter, Miller and Crawford without the Phillies having to give up on any of the big three.
And if he's not moved by the deadline, he remains a quality depth option that could become an internal addition to the bullpen for October.
Bryce Harper raves about Mick Abel’s debut, while also adding that “it’s definitely real” in regards to Paul Skenes.
(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/nBVhLyhLda
@JosephMcgi22411 on X: Would you trade Abel and a combination a prospects for Félix Bautista?
Tim Kelly: It would depend upon who the other prospects are, but I'd probably lean yes.
It's a bit of a red flag that Bautista is coming off of Tommy John surgery and you probably need to manage his workload this year. But two seasons ago, Bautista won the Mariano Rivera Award as the best relief pitcher in the American League. Between 2022 and 2023, he posted a 1.85 ERA in his first 121 MLB games for the Baltimore Orioles. He has a 2.77 ERA and 3.63 FIP this year, so he'll need to round back closer to the 2022-2023 form to convince me, but there's a lot to like. He was something of a late bloomer, so he's already 30. But he can't become a free agent until after the 2027 season, so you would potentially be getting him for three playoff runs.
The Orioles are bad enough that they may wind up selling this summer, and they badly need starting pitching. But even if Baltimore general manager Mike Elias is willing to listen on Bautista, I would imagine the asking price will be very high. Like Mick Abel and Justin Crawford high. A few days ago, I would have said there's no way that Dave Dombrowski and the Phillies would meet that type of asking price for a reliever. But with Alvarado not being eligible for the postseason, they may need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable in terms if what it will take to build a World Series-caliber bullpen.
Anthony SanFilippo: While I am intrigued by the fact that Bautista is under control, I'm not intrigued with the idea of parting with one, let alone two top prospects for a relief arm. Relief pitchers are volatile. They can be incredible one year and terrible the next. It's why most teams don't want to pay a big price to acquire one. It's why some teams — like the Phillies — don't want to make a huge financial investment in relievers.
It's why they let Jeff Hoffman walk. It's why they feel like they got Matt Strahm on a very team-friendly deal. It's why they have consistently focused on short-term deals for bullpen arms.
If you are trading a guy like Abel, Crawford or Miller, it better be for an everyday player. Otherwise, I'm not interested. There will be good relievers available for less at the deadline. That's the path the Phillies should take for external bullpen help.
Chris Otto (Papergreat) on Bluesky: While all the talk is about the bullpen headed toward the trade deadline, what position do you think the Phillies are looking at most closely as far finding a bat that could be an upgrade. IMO it's CF, given that Bohm has hit better in May
Tim Kelly: It's definitely center field, but there are so few impact players at that position.
Luis Robert has a lengthy injury history, and is currently hitting .186 with a .589 OPS.
Cedric Mullins could very well be an option. He perhaps hasn't turned out to be the superstar player he looked poised to develop into in 2021, but he's got pop. He is a left-handed hitter, but beggars may not be able to be choosers in this situation. The 30-year-old would make sense as a rental option that helps you bridge things to Crawford taking over in center field next year, assuming he's still in the organization.
I'm not suggesting Brandon Marsh for Cedric Mullins straight up, but if the Phillies land Mullins, Marsh would likely be the odd-man-out. Marsh could go back to the Orioles as part of the return for Mullins. You could also make a separate deal where you flip Marsh — who still has two remaining years of arbitration eligibility — for another area of need.
Anthony SanFilippo: While I agree center field is the biggest position of need, the Phillies are, in essence, running three platoons right now. And while second base seems to be working fine, left field isn't great. It's better than center, but not great.
That said, the Phillies have some flexibility in the sense that I'm betting Bryce Harper would be willing to go back to left field for the remainder of this season if there were a first baseman that became available. I also wouldn't be opposed to a change at third base either, if there was an upgrade to be had.
The Phillies could get creative to add the bat they need, and if there's a way to get a right-handed bat for the middle of the lineup, regardless of position, the Phillies should figure out how to do it.
I think they are desperate enough this season to do so.
And if they do find that bat, and it's not a center fielder, you settle for what you have out there and hold your nose, because every team has flaws.
